This is another beer post. After what has seemed like a long time, the Belgian Tripel IPA that I made over my holiday vacation is finally drinkable. I decided to try one this evening. I put one of the oddball bottles that I had in the fridge at around 6pm. It was moderately chilled by 8:15 or so.
I was rewarded with a healthy pop when I opend this one. The last month sitting in my office did the trick. Warming up the yeast and letting it eat the last bit of sugar in the beer and I now have a decently carbed Tripel.
I'm going to leave it in my office until 5/15 and will then transfer it downstairs. This is not an every day beer. We'll see how it ages.
Showing posts with label beer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label beer. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Friday, February 08, 2013
Holding out for Winter Storm Shaggy.
I've spent the better part of today, when I wasn't working, watching the Winter Storm Nemo updates either on the local news or on Weather.com's live stream. It's been enlightening to watch modern technology at work.
The storm predictions seem to have been pretty accurate. Local news is comparing the blizzard that we're in the middle of to the one in 1978. In that case, many people died and the meteorologists complete missed the prediction because their models weren't as accurate as they are today. Quite a few people died from what I understand.
In this case, however, preparations began several days ago, and for the most part, people prepared.
I'm sitting at home now with the only real worry is that we don't lose power overnight. We're ready for it, but it's going to be a little cold.
Part of my "watching" today taught me that the National Weather Service must be hard up for a naming scheme for storms. I thought Nemo was kinda silly but learned that Winter Storm Orko is in Utah right now. Really? Orko? Orko ranks among the top 3 most annoying cartoon characters of my childhood. I had horrible taste in both television and cartoons, so Orko's making the top 3 should tell you something.
It's also funny listening to the TWC commentators say Orko over and over.
I spent a few minutes thinking up more ridiculous names for storms. Here they are:
and my personal favorite: Winter Storm Shaggy. I'd better stock up on Scoobie Snacks.
Minor beer update: The tripel is very clear after a move to my 58F basement. Can't wait to drink this one.
The storm predictions seem to have been pretty accurate. Local news is comparing the blizzard that we're in the middle of to the one in 1978. In that case, many people died and the meteorologists complete missed the prediction because their models weren't as accurate as they are today. Quite a few people died from what I understand.
In this case, however, preparations began several days ago, and for the most part, people prepared.
I'm sitting at home now with the only real worry is that we don't lose power overnight. We're ready for it, but it's going to be a little cold.
Part of my "watching" today taught me that the National Weather Service must be hard up for a naming scheme for storms. I thought Nemo was kinda silly but learned that Winter Storm Orko is in Utah right now. Really? Orko? Orko ranks among the top 3 most annoying cartoon characters of my childhood. I had horrible taste in both television and cartoons, so Orko's making the top 3 should tell you something.
It's also funny listening to the TWC commentators say Orko over and over.
I spent a few minutes thinking up more ridiculous names for storms. Here they are:
- Winter Storm Skeletor
- Winter Storm Panthro
- Winter Storm Ratchet
- Winter Storm Scoobie Doo
and my personal favorite: Winter Storm Shaggy. I'd better stock up on Scoobie Snacks.
Minor beer update: The tripel is very clear after a move to my 58F basement. Can't wait to drink this one.
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Brewing Update
It's been a month since I did my vacation brew-fest. The ESB is just about ready. The flavors are toning down and when I bottle this one, it should be very tasty. I've had a very tough time not drinking this one. In retrospect, I should have just let it age and not sample it until the recipe said it would be ready.
My tripel IPA, on the other hand, has been an interesting journey. If you read my last post, you'll recall that fermentation ended very early and with and exceptionally high gravity considering where it was supposed to be. The good news is that my gravity is now where it should be. It's still fermenting though and I'm curious how long the gravity will go with the second addition of yeast and with the starter.
My sample today was 1.016. My original gravity was 1.078. That puts the ABV at around 8.5%. According to my hopville.com, that's close to it's target gravity. Taste wise, it tastes like the tripels that I've had. I'm hoping the dry-hopping that I intend to do will balance out the fruity & alcohol flavors a bit.
My tripel IPA, on the other hand, has been an interesting journey. If you read my last post, you'll recall that fermentation ended very early and with and exceptionally high gravity considering where it was supposed to be. The good news is that my gravity is now where it should be. It's still fermenting though and I'm curious how long the gravity will go with the second addition of yeast and with the starter.
My sample today was 1.016. My original gravity was 1.078. That puts the ABV at around 8.5%. According to my hopville.com, that's close to it's target gravity. Taste wise, it tastes like the tripels that I've had. I'm hoping the dry-hopping that I intend to do will balance out the fruity & alcohol flavors a bit.
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Always learning
Enough politics and social issues for now. Let's talk beer. I brewed 2 batches while I was on vacation around the Holiday and both were ready to work on today.
Skid Lid ESB
I've been looking forward to this brew for quite a while. I cut my teeth (or you might say I conditioned my liver) on Redhook ESB and Widmer Hefeweizen back when craft brewing wasn't as big as it is now. When I started home brewing myself, I wanted to make beers that were close to both of these.
My first attempt at home brewing, while good, wasn't close in color or flavor to the Widmer brew.
Today, I kegged my ESB. It is a beautiful golden/amber color and is exceptionally clear. Having not dry hopped anything before (or actually tasting a Redhook ESB in years), I have to admit that I found this one interesting and quite nice.
In my sample, it initially hits you with hop aroma and flavor. It's not an IPA, but the dry hopping certainly adds something that is intriguing and nice. The back of the mouth has what I recall from my "youth" of the ESB. It has a nice blend of bitterness and malt flavor.
I'm going to sample some in about a week but won't be truly drinking this in earnest for another 4 or so.
de Coster Hop Monster
My renewed interest in beer has taught me which styles and flavors that I like. Two of those are Belgian/Trappist style Tripels and IPA's. This brew was a kit purchased from Northern Brewer in Minnesota. It combines both styles and I have high hopes for how this will turn out.
I racked it to secondary today. I learned that I made 2 minor mistakes while making this particular beer. If you're not familiar, Trappist styles are high alcohol brews. The tripel weighs in at around 8-9% but has a clear and light flavor when compared to other styles. They generally take 1-3 months to ferment and up to 1 year to condition properly in a bottle.
One of my mistakes, after a quick call, was to not get the yeast going prior to pitching. The other was that my basement cooled down below the range where this particular yeast is really happy. I'll be buying/ordering another package of the yeast and pitching it into the current fermentation container at a higher temp.
As a side note, it tasted pretty good today but wasn't close to the final alcohol content or flavor profile.
One last thing, all of my beers have a motocross/motorcycle theme. Check out my work in progress, Holeshot Brewing if you want to learn more.
Skid Lid ESB
I've been looking forward to this brew for quite a while. I cut my teeth (or you might say I conditioned my liver) on Redhook ESB and Widmer Hefeweizen back when craft brewing wasn't as big as it is now. When I started home brewing myself, I wanted to make beers that were close to both of these.
My first attempt at home brewing, while good, wasn't close in color or flavor to the Widmer brew.
Today, I kegged my ESB. It is a beautiful golden/amber color and is exceptionally clear. Having not dry hopped anything before (or actually tasting a Redhook ESB in years), I have to admit that I found this one interesting and quite nice.
In my sample, it initially hits you with hop aroma and flavor. It's not an IPA, but the dry hopping certainly adds something that is intriguing and nice. The back of the mouth has what I recall from my "youth" of the ESB. It has a nice blend of bitterness and malt flavor.
I'm going to sample some in about a week but won't be truly drinking this in earnest for another 4 or so.
de Coster Hop Monster
My renewed interest in beer has taught me which styles and flavors that I like. Two of those are Belgian/Trappist style Tripels and IPA's. This brew was a kit purchased from Northern Brewer in Minnesota. It combines both styles and I have high hopes for how this will turn out.
I racked it to secondary today. I learned that I made 2 minor mistakes while making this particular beer. If you're not familiar, Trappist styles are high alcohol brews. The tripel weighs in at around 8-9% but has a clear and light flavor when compared to other styles. They generally take 1-3 months to ferment and up to 1 year to condition properly in a bottle.
One of my mistakes, after a quick call, was to not get the yeast going prior to pitching. The other was that my basement cooled down below the range where this particular yeast is really happy. I'll be buying/ordering another package of the yeast and pitching it into the current fermentation container at a higher temp.
As a side note, it tasted pretty good today but wasn't close to the final alcohol content or flavor profile.
One last thing, all of my beers have a motocross/motorcycle theme. Check out my work in progress, Holeshot Brewing if you want to learn more.
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Patience is a virtue
If I've learned anything since I've started brewing, it's that patiences is indeed a virtue. I used my lack of it to advantage with my first brew. It was a honey wheat that I started drinking within 2 weeks of brewing and only a few days in the bottle. I was able to learn how the flavor changed over time. I was lucky in that I hit the right amount of ABV, remaining yeast in solution and bottle conditioning to have every bottle well carbonated by the time I popped the cap.
My second batch was an oatmeal stout. The original recipe called for a cold steep of coffee to be added to the secondary fermentation vessel, which I omitted. That, combined with a bit of over hopping, produced a very hoppy stout that I hesitate to call an oatmeal stout. It's more like a Imperial Stout or Russian IPA.
Here's where the patience part comes in. I bottled this batch over a month ago. Almost every bottle that I've had or given away has been moderately flat. I attributed it to not using enough priming sugar when I bottled. Last night, however, I opened one and poured it into my favorite glass. I was rewarded with a rich, thick, 2 finger head that lasted for the entire glass. I'm going to ensure that I'm not subject to an outlier and crack another tonight and see if it give the same result. If so, I'll make sure to update my notes to allow for 4-6 weeks of bottle conditioning next time before sending these out the door.
Brewing side note:
In Primary:
Strange Brew - Killer Kolsch
On deck:
Dry hopped ESB
Northern Brewer - Houblonmonstre Tripel IPA
My second batch was an oatmeal stout. The original recipe called for a cold steep of coffee to be added to the secondary fermentation vessel, which I omitted. That, combined with a bit of over hopping, produced a very hoppy stout that I hesitate to call an oatmeal stout. It's more like a Imperial Stout or Russian IPA.
Here's where the patience part comes in. I bottled this batch over a month ago. Almost every bottle that I've had or given away has been moderately flat. I attributed it to not using enough priming sugar when I bottled. Last night, however, I opened one and poured it into my favorite glass. I was rewarded with a rich, thick, 2 finger head that lasted for the entire glass. I'm going to ensure that I'm not subject to an outlier and crack another tonight and see if it give the same result. If so, I'll make sure to update my notes to allow for 4-6 weeks of bottle conditioning next time before sending these out the door.
Brewing side note:
In Primary:
Strange Brew - Killer Kolsch
On deck:
Dry hopped ESB
Northern Brewer - Houblonmonstre Tripel IPA
Monday, November 12, 2012
It's getting a little Kolsch in here..
This summer, I finally took the plunge into home brewing with the help of my neighbor. It's been a blast and I think, like many others, I've found something that I may do for the rest of my life. It has the perfect combination of science and art to make it fun and enough variability to keep in interesting as well.
This weekend, I brewed my third batch of beer. This batch was something much lighter and less alcoholic than my previous two batches. It's a Kolsch style brew. If you think of a standard, mass-produced beer, you'll have the basic idea. The primary difference with what I did and what the big breweries do is in temperature and the fermentation process (i.e. yeast). Your Miller's, Michelob's and Budweiser's are lagers, which ferment at lower temperatures on the bottom of the brew and for longer timer periods than your standard ale.
A Kolsch is an ale from the Cologne region of Germany that has lager-like qualities but ferments in the 65 F range. We'll see how it turns out. I pitched the yeast yesterday and as near as I can tell, active fermentation has begun.
UPDATE: Fermentation is going strong on day 4. I used new airlocks that behave differently than the ones I've used in the past.
This weekend, I brewed my third batch of beer. This batch was something much lighter and less alcoholic than my previous two batches. It's a Kolsch style brew. If you think of a standard, mass-produced beer, you'll have the basic idea. The primary difference with what I did and what the big breweries do is in temperature and the fermentation process (i.e. yeast). Your Miller's, Michelob's and Budweiser's are lagers, which ferment at lower temperatures on the bottom of the brew and for longer timer periods than your standard ale.
A Kolsch is an ale from the Cologne region of Germany that has lager-like qualities but ferments in the 65 F range. We'll see how it turns out. I pitched the yeast yesterday and as near as I can tell, active fermentation has begun.
UPDATE: Fermentation is going strong on day 4. I used new airlocks that behave differently than the ones I've used in the past.
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